Seems like a simple solution would be to only allow one active supply hub per state no?
For example, a second supply hub could only buff the ability of the first to spread out incoming supply or serve as a fallback, but wouldn't increase total supply available.
I feel the issue, in most of these examples i posted relates to overlapping supply hubs being able to supply one another and the same tile at efficiencies identical to as if the other supply hub was not present.
What doesn't make sense to ME. Is that adding another supply hub further away, will somehow increase available supply closer to the capitol.
I.e train travels 100km down the rail, and delivers 20 supply.
Make another hub a further 100km, and send supply on trucks from that hub to the first one... for another 15 supply.
Quirks in no particular order:
Port of Alexandria has a supply value of 6,12 from the hub (itself) + 2,60 from the state = 10,89 (with 50 trucks)
Putting 1 supply hub in the Matrouh desert has a supply value of 2,70 from the state + 10,22 from the hub = 12,97 (also 50 trucks)
Now i understand how the system works, unintuitively. The Port of Alexandria has a supply connection with the capitol of 25. Then the level 1 rail to Matrouh has a cap of 15. So in the logic of the game, it is entirely reasonable that sending supplies into the North African desert is easier than sending supplies to a major port (level 8 port)
So, i've been bitching and moaning enough. Making a fair amount of either unrealistic examples, or exceedingly rare examples. Just to showcase the issues with the system, in a hypothethical setting.
However, the Brittish Empire deciding to extend its supply reach in the North African desert via the creation of a railway line and a supply hub as entirely reasonable. The Italians have been engaging in Colonial warfare threatening Imperial possessions from the South. It has been decided to send army, navy and air power to the region in order to act as a rapid response force should the Italians attempt any military action. As such, an upgrade to the existing logitstics network has been authorized.
Concrete proposals:
1. Significantly increase the amount of trucks you can attach to a supply depot. 0/25/50 is too low, and too limiting. Possibly allow logistics elements to be directly assigned to an army. This should not be infinite however, i understand that a hub can only process so many vehicles each day.
2. Add levels to supply hubs, increasing the amount of a) trains they can service each day b) trucks/mules/horses they can service each day. 20 000 IC cost is too prohibitively expensive to construct for all nations, except the largest. The Brittish Empire can barely justify constructing a single supply hub, in order to dissuade another major power. But the current usefulness of a single hub, justifies the 20k IC cost.
3. Tiles should not be able to receive supply from multiple hubs simultaneously UNLESS the amount of trucks utilized at the closest hub hits the cap. Then a second hub can be used if within range. Make the logistics network actually rely on the trains, trucks and transport airplanes as a ''numbers available'' game. I'm getting the vibes that supplies are teleporting here, assigning more troops should require the use of more trucks.
4. Using trucks should counteract a negative modifier, not increase the modifier to a positive value. What i mean by this is that, if Salt Lake City receives 20 supply each day to it's supply hub from railway. That is 100% of the positive supply that the tile can receive. The decision to use trucks should in no way, make it possible to increase the available supply on top of the hub beyond that 20. The trucks should instead counteract the range loss modifier in tiles petruding outwards. Infrastructure should affect the efficiency of trucks, and to a lesser extent animals.
In the current game, Alexandria has a supply of 8,69. Which can be increased to 10,89 using trucks. Which is odd to me, since Alexandria is the supply hub and should see no range loss. But assigning trucks to it, implies that it does lose supply to range. Make the base 10,89 with or without trucks, have troops standing on top of it use 0 trucks as they just grab the supplies directly from the port.
5. Make it impossible to use trucks in certain places, and add a cost modifier to railway tracks. It should not be possible to create inexpensive supply networks in Papua / West Papua which combined has only Jungle and Mountain tiles, except for a single plains tile. I like the idea of supply truck Attrition, keep it in. But add modifiers which reduce efficiency of trucks as well scaling to -100% on Jungle tiles. I.e you can only use horses, mules and other pack animals in certain regions.
Using bogus numbers to put an example.
Forest tile:
Supply Truck Efficiency -20%, now if you assign 100 trucks. It would be as if you only assigned 80 to a plains tile.
Supply truck Attrition +20%, as it is written in game now.
Railroad cost modifier +30%, self explanatory
Supply hub cost modifier +30%, self explanatory
Keeping in mind, if you wish to add any modifiers INCREASING supply hub costs. It would have to be combined with dividing hubs into different levels. So that, you can construct a level 1 or 2 hub on North Borneo to support a push overland. At 20k IC cost, this would be impossible in practice.
Maybe add some national spirit flavor. Italy for example was very much focused on it's mountainous borders with France and Austria/Germany in military thinking in the 20s and 30s. Add some bonus to mountain supply efficiency, which partially counteracts the negative but not completely. The UK has ''Service overseas'' which can affect desert/jungle supply. Finland can have some bonus in forest, Deep snow and snow. Add a ''supply on core state'' modifier, if for no other reason than to allow moders to mod.
6. Air Supply... it's pointless to comment on a non-functional part of your game. It's bugged. Fix it.
7. I'm not sure if port levels matter much, or at all. Investigating, but it looks as if port existing and port has access to capitol is the only checks. But there is no level of port check, i could be wrong.
8. I dislike access to capitol being the only way to acquire supplies. I see the ''Allied supply'' button, great thinking on that part. But if it is not prohibitively resource intensive on the game speed. Any victory point should be able to form the basis of a supply network. Say for example London is encircled, Brittish Africa/Middle east actually has 32,4 supply in the current iteration of the game. From Infrastructure, Population and Victory points. And should be able to move that around, provided the logistics network can handle it. Actually, local supply should be preffered. Maybe some way for the player to decide?
I see Alexandria has a civilian factory as well. Which does NOT add to Alexandria supply? But instead adds it to the capitol London supply? I think this is odd. It should add to Alexandria, reducing the amount of convoys needed to be sent from London.